Wednesday, December 5, 2012

This was going to be too long of a response to put in a
comment box.First let me address your
deregulation bill.You asked how many
teachers supported this bill.I would
venture to guess you got minimal to no support for this bill from
teachers.Now, given that teachers are
always vocal about unfunded mandates, this should give you pause.I know that when I assess my students after I
teach a lesson and more than half of them don’t pass, there is a problem.If that many are struggling, then the first
place I look is to my teaching.What did
I do that I shouldn’t have or what didn’t I do that I needed to.Perhaps you might consider this in the same
way.We should want deregulation, but we
don’t support your bill.Why not?

I can give you a couple of answers.First of all, teachers have been bashed by so much legislation lately
that some of them are just wanting you to leave us alone for a while until we
can work through the mess we have right now.However, that isn’t the real cause.The real problem is that not one – no, not a single one – of the
legislators we have asked (including you) have been able to tell us exactly
what you are deregulating.I first met
you last year after the Visions 2020 Conference when I asked you to
specifically list what you wanted deregulated.You could not answer.You said
you needed to do some research.I followed
up with an e-mail.You told me you were
looking into it.I followed up
again.You stopped responding.I give you credit for responding the first
time, as most of your colleagues don’t bother.However, until you can tell us what you are deregulating, you aren’t
going to get the support of the teachers.We’ve had too much experience with education legislation to buy a pig in
a poke.Have you thought about getting a
committee of educators together and actually asking them which regulations are
the problem?Better yet, have you looked
at all of the regulations to see which ones you haven’t funded?Maybe the problem isn’t in the mandate but in
the lack of funding.

You also asked if we should stop testing kids.Of course not.However, the
current regime of high stakes testing has not worked.Ever.Anywhere.It will never
work.You can (and apparently will)
spend millions of dollars on this system, and it isn’t going to work.Everybody says we need to break out of the
status quo.However, high stakes testing
has been around for over a decade.All
these new laws are just the status quo on steroids.Failing 3rd graders because they
didn’t pass one test, one day is ridiculous.Especially given the complete unreliability of the tests.Now you are implementing this retention law
at the same time our State Department has changed all of our standards.We have no material to teach common
core.There isn’t even curriculum
written for common core.Yet we (meaning
you and your colleagues) are going to retain these kids if they don’t pass
common core tests.Anyone knows that
with any new system there is a period of adjustment.We don’t get one with this combination.I’m trying to teach common core math with a
textbook that is a decade old.(One of
those things that wasn’t funded for the last few years was textbook purchases.)
Elementary schools aren’t scheduled to get new reading curriculum until 2017 –
three years after they are supposed to be passing common core tests.

There are better ways to assess kids.There are certainly better ways to evaluate schools and teachers than
using those tests.However, no one is
willing to work with actual teachers in developing these things.We are just told we are “trying to avoid
accountability” or “just being lazy” or “making excuses.”Could it possibly be that we have more experience
in this area and can work with you to make your ideas better?Could it possibly be that we might actually
agree on some things, but those things get lumped in with a bunch of junk so that
we can’t even support what we like?

I am not just criticizing here.I am
(again) trying to let you know that you have a resource that you have not
used.Instead of trying to fight us, why
don’t you work with us?My guess is that
neither of us would get everything we want, but whatever we came up with would
have to be better than what we have now.The A to F grading scale is useless.An A on one report card doesn’t mean the same thing as an A on
another.It is about as clear and
transparent as a mud pit.Tying teacher
evaluations to test scores is also useless.You won’t get rid of bad teachers that way.You will get rid of teachers who work in high
poverty areas.The only proven
correlation about test scores is that between scores and socio-economic
level.There are less expensive ways to
determine which schools have poor kids.Incidentally, if you really want to help those kids, read up on the
effects of poverty on education.Try
Ruby Payne’s book A Framework for Understanding Poverty.It might give you a better idea of what we
need to help these kids.

If you want better teachers, let’s work together to make that happen.You have an excellent opportunity to make a
stand on this.Support the National
Board Certification Program.Don’t just
fund it (although that is of course important).Use it.There are over 3,000
teachers in Oklahoma who are NBCTs.If
you want to mandate something, require those teachers who receive the stipend
to mentor other teachers.Ask them to work
on committees with you.Sit down with
them and find out what is really needed (besides funding).We can help you.Work with the State Department and the
Districts to find ways to use NBCTs.Use
the framework for National Boards to help you come up with a truly effective
evaluation process.For a start, you
might look at what is required of a teacher to receive their
certification.Also take a look at what
is required for renewal.I can tell you
that those things are a better reflection of my teaching than any test score.

Aside from the NBCT program, look at the professional development requirements
for teachers.Are there any?I honestly don’t know. When I started, we were required to have 15
hours a year.I have so many more than
that each year I haven’t worried about it.However, someone told me that requirement was done away with.If that is so, why?We need quality professional development.Why don’t we work on making that a
priority?Not only for our teachers to
participate in but for our state to provide.I have been to some amazing workshops over the years, but most of them
were out of state.Why is that?

Let’s take a look at the training our universities are providing in teacher
education programs.Is it
sufficient?Does it need to be
adjusted?Can we work on funding an
internship program for new teachers?Have them partner teach with a highly qualified teacher for a year
before being thrown in to their own classroom?

Once again, I’ll say we are willing to work with you.We are willing to be held accountable.We are willing to do what we need to that is
best for the kids.However, as long as
legislation is being passed that is not in the best interest of our students,
you will not get our support.As long as you are sponsoring ALEC legislation (like the special education scholarship bill), you are not going to get our support.

If you
want to get some first hand experience, come visit.Come for a day, come for a week, come for an
hour.Teach the class, read to the
class, talk to the kids, talk to the teachers.Prepare a lesson plan, go over our standards.Whatever you want, we will support you.You are welcome here.You are wanted here.

I have to wonder if these people ever listen to themselves. There are so many things wrong with this situation, it's hard to know where to start. However, here are a few.

“When we get to the position to where we're being attacked because we're somehow pawns in the political system, that's offensive to me — maybe insulting,” said retired Gen. Lee Baxter, a board member. “We ain't (ranked) 47th (nationally) because of me. We're not 47th because of this board. You were 47th when I got here.”

If you are offended at being called a pawn, don't be a pawn. We aren't (because ain't isn't a word, no matter that they added it to the dictionary) ranked 47th. We are only 47th in the amount of money we spend on education. Our schools consistently achieve at higher levels than that. If you want to complain about that ranking, talk to the legislators.

“Part of any plan is recognizing what the problem is and recognizing there is a problem,” Price said.

Yes. So why is it exactly that we are required to recognize the flaws in our plan, but you aren't required to recognize the flaws in yours? We know what the problems are in our system. Therefore your system to identify said problems is redundant. Since you won't listen to what we have to say when we give you ideas for solving our problems, I'd say the people who have the issues are not the same people being "graded" by this system.

“All these flunking schools under (the previous system), nobody seemed to recognize.”

Let's think about this for a second. Just a second - really - that's all it will take. Point 1 - you say this is a more rigorous system because the old one was too easy. Point 2 - under this new, more rigorous system only 9 schools out of 1,750 failed. (.5%) So which of these 1,750 schools were "all these flunking schools" under the previous system? Incidentally, I only count 8 of them as failing (if that). Any alternative education school is an alternative education school for a reason. I'd like to see what happens if we look at how those kids are actually helped.

So, now that we have all of this data, how does this help me as a teacher "fix" my school. It doesn't. Not one little bit. I could already tell you how attendance effects my kids - not that I can do anything about it. I could already tell you what academic areas need help. I could already tell you that some of my kids need extra support. Now if you'd quit wasting school money on this ridiculousness, maybe they could get it.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

I read about your adventure teaching class at Northern Hills
Elementary School.First of all, I want
to offer a sincere “thank you.”If more
of our legislators would get out into the classrooms (and be willing to learn
something), we would have far fewer divisions between the politics of education
and the reality of education.To that
end, I’ll be sending copies of this letter to some of them.I hope they appreciate the step you have
taken.Having had all day to think about
what you said, I have some comments.

I am sorry you do not feel you have been invited to come
teach or participate in classrooms before.Thinking back on some of the things I have written, I suppose I could
have been more clear.To clarify my
offer, you (and any other member of the Senate or House) are welcome to come
into my classroom for any reason at any time.If you would like to observe, great.If you would like to read to children, great.If you would like to teach for an hour or a
day, wonderful.If you prefer, I will
happily meet with you and/or your colleagues and let you help create these
lessons.I will help make sure anyone
who isn’t used to being in front of a group of kids is comfortable with what
they would teach.We can use technology (SmartBoards,
iPod Touches, laptops), or we can go old school.I will prepare lessons for any subject.I will create short lessons or longer
projects.My students and I will blog
with you, Skype with you or e-mail with you if you would like to participate in
a unit instead of a lesson.If you or
your colleagues would like to visit/observe/teach/read to a class other than 3rd
grade (which is what I teach), I will be happy to arrange that, too.You are welcome and wanted at my school.

That said, please don’t feel like you aren’t accomplishing anything when you
come and read to a classroom.Research
shows that children who are read to become better readers.Very often, our students have no one at home to
do so.Because of all the content we
need to cover in the classroom, it is often one of the things that doesn’t
happen as frequently as it needs to at school.If I could find someone to come in and read to small groups of my
students daily, I would do it in a second.Taking on that kind of assignment is worthwhile for those kids.In addition, any time you spend time in the
schools you are getting a picture of what is really going on.It is the only way to know what needs to be
done.

Thank you for recognizing that what comes from home affects what happens in the
classroom.Despite the rhetoric I have
heard from many, many, many people in the last year, home life makes a huge
difference.It is not an excuse.Nor is poverty.Both are realities that need to be
addressed.There is a reason why it
doesn’t matter what kind of tests we give, low income areas come out on the
bottom.When we start to work together
to make sure these kids’ basic needs are taken care of, then I guaranty that
the success rate of those same kids will skyrocket.

The problem of ability levels in classrooms is a tough one.How does one teacher handle 6 levels of
ability in one classroom?Not only that,
consider that some of those kids are high ability in one area (say reading) and
low ability in another (like math).Many
of them need special services, but since Oklahoma only recognizes them as
special needs if they are performing 22 points below their ability level (IQ),
they don’t get that assistance until they are several grades behind.Low IQ students will often never qualify
because they are truly working to the best of their ability – even though that
ability is below their actual grade level.

So, how do we handle it?I don’t know.I work harder.I try to work with the kids one on one so
that I can address some of their struggles.However, we need more support for those kids.Very often the support we do have is stuck
doing piles and piles of paperwork and testing kids for days on end.That is not helpful.I know what my kids are struggling with every
day.I don’t need 4 different reading
tests to tell me that.What I need is
someone who can work with those kids to pick up what they missed somewhere
along the way while I teach them the grade level content.Don’t get me wrong.Some diagnostic testing is necessary, and
with some kids extensive testing is necessary.However, because of the laws we currently have, all of the kids are
tested and tested and tested and tested, not just the ones who need it.There is too much testing, too little help, and
too much time taken away from the classroom.

As for class sizes, I am certainly not going to argue with you about class
sizes mattering in lower grades!However, even though I am not an upper grade teacher, I am going to
throw my support their way.Class size
matters in upper grades, too.At least
it does if you want them doing more meaningful, hands on, active lessons and
fewer worksheets and seat work.Even if
individual instruction time weren’t an issue (which it is), and even if
classroom management of that many students weren’t an issue (which it is), and
even if trying to manage grading assignments for that many kids weren’t an
issue (which it is) – even without any of those things, our classrooms are just
not built for large class sizes.If you
want kids out of their seats, you need to make sure we have enough room for
them to do so safely.(I’m assuming you
believe, rightly so, that active learning is better for the older kids as
well.)So, either we are going to have
to have bigger classrooms or fewer students.I would prefer both, but I do have to be realistic.

Finally, I want to repeat – thank you.You made an effort, you learned some things,
you experienced the classroom for a while.That is all we can ask.You referred
to us as classroom professionals.The
wording and the sentiment are very much appreciated.

Monday, October 8, 2012

I have to admit, this letter was almost left unwritten.Not because I did not want to write it, but
because it just fell to the bottom of the list of things I had to get done
tonight.I left school at 4:30 this
afternoon, and before I even got home, I had a call from a parent wanting to
discuss some problems her child had with an assignment tonight and some
struggles he had in class.I stopped for
almost an hour in a parking lot to talk to her because I know they have
football practice at 6, and they wouldn’t have time to talk later.I finally got home at almost 6:00 and since
that time I have been working on the new spelling program I am implementing for
my kids so that I can help them with some of their reading and writing
struggles.If I hadn’t had an e-mail pop
up on my computer from my friend, colleague and mentor, Claudia Swisher, about
her own letter, I wouldn’t have remembered to stop.It is now 10 minutes to 10 o’clock at night,
but for you to hear stories is important.For you to see the impact of the ELO and NBCT program is important.So, I’ll get a little less sleep
tonight.That’s the life of a teacher.

I am alternatively certified.I do not
have an education degree.I have a
business degree and a law degree.My
entire teaching career (8 years strong now) has been guided by the National
Board program.My first year teaching I
worked with Don Coleman.He was going
through the National Board process at that time, and, despite that very time
consuming process, he took hours and hours out of his time to talk to me about
what National Board Certification meant, how it helped the kids and how to
teach up to National Board standards.The most important thing, he told me, was to make sure that everything
you do impacts your students in a positive way.Make sure you take an honest look at what you are teaching and how you
are teaching it so that your kids get the bestyou have to offer, not just the bare minimum of what the textbooks have
to say.I set a goal then to earn my
NBC.I had a plan.I was going to teach the minimum 3 years and
then apply to assess NBCT applications.After that, I’d apply for the scholarship, and if I received one, I’d
apply that 5th year.If not,
I’d apply again the next year and the next, until I did qualify.It was never an option not to earn this
certification.To me, those teachers
were the best of the best, and that’s what I wanted to be.I studied and worked with Don.I attended hundreds of hours of professional
development, and yes, I did qualify for that scholarship, and yes, I am a very
proud NBCT.Little did I expect that I
would be the last group to receive an ELO scholarship – without which I could
not have afforded to go through the process.

So what does all that mean for the kids?They are the important ones.Let me give you just a few examples:

1.I had a student come into my classroom with a
Kindergarten/1st grade reading level.I teach 3rd grade.Because of the books I read to prepare for
the Reading Assessment and the teaching methods I learned while doing my
Writing Portfolio, I was able to sit down with her and analyze what her
problems were and work with her to solve them.I knew how important her confidence was in the process and how much she
needed to work for it.Work she
did.We did before school tutoring,
lunch time meetings and after school meetings.She read and discussed and worked on our online computer programs at
home.At the end of the year, she had
increased her reading level to beginning 4th grade.This little girl who would barely speak the 1st day of class asked me the last day of class if she
could address the class.I let her.She crouched low to the ground, with her
hands down and said “When I came to 3rd Grade, I was a failure.”Then she stood, raised her hands high above
her head, and said “I am leaving a success.”Although that was enough for me, you’ll be pleased to know she has
passed her state reading tests every year since – with flying colors.I know because she comes to me every year to
share her successes.

2.Lastyear I was
one of the finalists for District Teacher of the Year.As part of that process, I needed to have
some of my students write letters to the
district about what kind of teacher I am.One of my students from the year I did my National Board application wrote
for me.Without a single bit of guidance
from me, he wrote about how much he learned during the science lesson I did for
my portfolio.He outlined what we did,
how we did it and why we did it.It had
been over a year since we did that lesson.He remembered every goal we had, what the processes were that we used to
investigate the issues, why we used those processes and what the results were from every part of a 9 week
series of lessons.

3.One of the books I studied to
prepare for the Math Assessment portion of the NBC process was about how to
recognize what kids were doing wrong with math problems.I had always been able to see that the answers
were wrong, but I could very often not figure out why the kids were doing what
they were doing.Since they can’t
explain it most of the time, it left me just to teach the same thing again and
again and hope I addressed the problem.After reading this book, I was able to recognize what they were doing in
these problems and more directly re-teach the students.My state math test scores this last year were better
than they were before I did this study.

I could go on and on, but I don’t have the time to write a novel, and you don’t
have time to read it.I know that some
of this evidence involves studying I did which could have been done outside the NBC process.However, I wouldn’t have even
known those books existed without the meetings and training offered by ELO and
my mentors.I am a better teacher
because of the relationships I built through this process.I am a better teacher because of the
reflection I do on every lesson now.I am
a better teacher because the NBC process taught me it’s okay to scrap something
that isn’t working and start all over again.

That takes me back to the beginning of this letter.I will end now because it is now 10:30, and I
have 7 different sets of spelling lists to create for my kids. Differentiation of instruction is another area
that I am better at now than I was before I went through the National Board
process.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Here is the letter I sent this morning to all of our legislators regarding the National Board and ELO programs:

I know that you have a busy session ahead of you, and I appreciate the
time you will take to read this - especially those of you on the
Education Committee. I am sorry that none of you could make it to the
NBCT support and training meeting you were invited to on Saturday,
February 14th. I hope you will be able to visit the next one. Your
invitation will be arriving soon. In the mean time, I wanted to provide
something for you to think about as you consider all of the bills that
will affect the National Board process here in Oklahoma. This isn't
brief, so please have a few minutes before you read it. I could make it
brief or accurate. I chose accurate.

First, let me say I am not going to keep mentioning the broken promise
to current NBCTs. I believe the funding was there, and our
Superintendent chose not to give it to the people it belonged to. I
sincerely hope you will fix that, and take that power away from her. In
that light, you need to know why you should do so.

1. Oklahoma's National Board program is recognized as one of the best
in the country. According to the last numbers I received, 75% of
National Board candidates certify nationwide. In Oklahoma, that number
is 93%. That says something, not only about the quality of our
teachers, but about the program we have to support them - the ELO
program.

2. There are just over 97,000 National Board Certified teachers in this country. Oklahoma has almost 3,000 of those.

3. At the end of this letter, I have attached a copy of a letter to the
editor of the Oklahoman written by the President of the National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards. He provides data regarding the
test scores of students taught by National Board Certified Teachers.
Evidence shows that they are higher than those of students taught by
non-NBCTs.

4. Ask the National Board Certified Teachers, and they will tell you
they are a better teacher for going through the process. To that end, I
will tell you my personal story.

I am an alternatively certified elementary school teacher. Prior to
becoming a teacher, I was an attorney and had never taken an education
class. I have been teaching for the past 7 years. I was hired two
weeks before school started that first year, and when I asked what I was
supposed to teach I was told, "Teach the PASS skills." I had no idea
at that time what a PASS skill was. I was on my own as far as figuring
out how to teach. I knew the material - no question. What I didn't
know was how to plan a lesson, how to evaluate a student or how to
evaluate myself. I had a mentor teacher who would help me through that
first year. She taught me where to find the PASS objectives, how to use
them and where to find the district calendar showing me when to teach
what. She helped me find all of my teacher's editions, and she showed
me how to handle the administrative side of teaching. She was a great
woman, and I was blessed to have her as a mentor.

However, I also had another mentor. This one was an unofficial mentor.
He was a 6th grade teacher going through the National Board process. I
had not heard of it, nor - at that time - did I know the sheer amount
of work and time it took to finish. During this very intense year for
him, he took the time to introduce me to the National Board process, and
more importantly to the National Board Standards. They are as follows:

1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
5. Teachers are members of learning communities.

My mentor not only talked me through all of these standards, but he
showed me what they meant. I'd like you to notice that the first
standard is about commitment to students. That is because first and
foremost, NBCTs are dedicated to their students and to helping them
learn. Regardless of whatever is going on in their lives our ours.
Regardless of politics. Regardless of the increasing amount of
paperwork & other things that take away from our time. No matter
what, we WILL teach our students because those are the people we are
accountable to. That is what I was taught that first year. It is all
about the students. That year, I made a plan. I was going to be an
NBCT. After my third year (the first year I would be eligible), I was
going to assess for National Boards so that I could get a good idea
about what was expected. After my fourth year, I was going to apply for
a scholarship. If I got it, I was going to apply after my fifth year.
If not, I was going to keep applying until I did. Face it, on a
teacher's salary, there was no way I was going to be able to afford the
$2500 application fee without years to save up.

In the meantime, I had work to do. Evenings, weekends and summers were
spent doing professional development. All of it was geared toward
learning how to create lessons that covered the PASS objectives,
integrated multiple subjects and engaged students and learning more
about the subjects I was weak in. Because I was alternatively
certified, I had 3 years to take 190 hours of professional development
in order to get my permanent teaching certificate. I earned over the
required number of hours in my first year. I have continued that
process every year, and along the way I started speaking at conferences
and teaching professional development sessions of my own - sharing what I
learned and developing that professional learning community of Standard
5.

After my third year, I did assess for National Boards. After my 4th
year, I did apply for and receive a scholarship. During my 5th year, I
did apply for National Board Certification. I was told that I was
crazy, that I hadn't been teaching long enough, but I wanted to try
anyway. It is a three year process. If I made it in one, great. If it
took me three, that was fine too. If I didn't certify after that, I'd
start all over again. I know what makes a good teacher, and I was going
to demonstrate that I could do it.

As much as I thought I knew going into the process, there was so much
more I didn't know. Up until that point I had been reflecting on other
people's work. Now it was time to analyze my own. Fortunately for me,
all of that professional development helped. Throughout all four of the
portfolios for the National Board application, the common strand is
student impact. How is my teaching impacting my students? How am I
learning from my previous lessons and experiences and changing so that
the impact is greater? How does the professional development I take
impact my students? How do I share it with my colleagues and help them
impact their students? How does my interaction with the community
impact my students? All of this had to be demonstrated in my writing
and submitted with evidence backing it up - including 2 video taped
lessons. Then I had to demonstrate my knowledge of the material I teach
(and even some I don't) with six assessments. Because we have no
knowledge of what we are going to be asked about each subject, we must
prepare for anything and everything. I was applying for a Middle
Childhood Generalist certification. That meant I would be tested on
Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies, Arts Integration and Health
(focusing on recognizing health issues of my students, not teaching
of). The age range was from 2nd grade to 6th, and my questions on those
subjects could come from any of those grade levels.

In each of the 4 portfolios and 6 assessments there is a reflective
portion. This means that I was required to demonstrate that I could
look at what I taught, explain why I taught it to these particular kids
at this particular time, how it worked, what were the problems, what
would I do if I did it again, how did it impact what I taught next and
more. This process taught me how to make sure what I teach is relevant
to the kids I have right now, and it made sure that I will never do a
lesson without evaluating both the lesson and my teaching afterward.

Throughout
this entire process, I received support from the Education Leadership
program. Mentor meetings, professional development, and yes, the
scholarship. I had people to help me proofread my entries, people to
help me study for the assessments, people to clarify the almost 400
pages of instructions for the process, people to help me keep my focus
and people help me see things in my teaching that I didn't before. They
gave me resources to enhance my lessons, helped me understand what some
of the problems were that I was running into and helped me figure out
how to fix them. All of this was (and is) invaluable.
You want to reward excellent teachers. The 5 Standards NBCTs demonstrate
are exactly what make an excellent teacher. There are other teachers
out there who demonstrate those qualities and are not NBCTs. However,
those who have certified have already demonstrated that excellence. Why
would you end a program of such high quality that shows proven
results? That $5,000 a year stipend is well earned by the teachers who
have gone through the process. It is a demonstration of Oklahoma's
commitment to excellence, and it lets those teachers see that their hard
work is recognized and rewarded. If you want to fund and create
additional ways to recognize good teachers, fine. However, to destroy
this program and all it stands for would be a huge step backwards and a
good way to insure that excellent teachers not only do not move to
Oklahoma, but that they start leaving in increasing numbers. Evidence
shows that the NBCT program works. It also shows that "merit pay" does
not. How you choose to act now tells us a lot about what our value is
to you.

I have taken you through part of my journey as a teacher in this
letter. It is certainly not all of it, nor is it the end of it.
However, you want to see the results of this program that taught me how
to be a teacher. In my 5th year of teaching, I was nominated for
Teacher of the Year. In my 6th year, I was nominated for Teacher of the
Year. In this, my 7th year, I was chosen as Teacher of the Year for my
school, and I am in the top 5 finalists for District Teacher of the
Year. We won't find out for a while yet who the winner of that award
is. However, even if I stay in the top 5, out of 1400 teachers in my
district, I'd say that's a good start. A teacher from my school hasn't
been chosen as a finalist in about 25 years. I am one of two recipients
of the 2011 S.K.I.E. award from the K20 Center at OU. This award
recognizes outstanding teachers who have demonstrated innovation in
technology integration in their classrooms and schools. The 2nd award
winner for 2011 was my colleague, friend and an NBCT herself, Regina
Hartley. And yes, I am now a National Board Certified Teacher.

I realize this was long, and I thank you for taking the time to read
it. I also encourage you to come and talk to us at any of our
meetings. We meet in Norman twice a month to support candidates going
through the NBCT process even though the program is under attack by our
leaders. Other meetings occur around the state at least monthly.

The only thing that needs to change about the ELO program and the
National Board stipends is the removal of the language "subject to
availability of funds" and the ending of the moratorium. Unless of
course, you would like to increase the amount of scholarships
available. That would be an amazing step forward in Oklahoma education.

Sincerely,

Christine Paradise, NBCT

Here is the letter I mentioned above:

Dear Editor:

On February 11, 2012, the Oklahoman published a letter to the editor by
Robert Holland, senior fellow at the Heartland Institute in Chicago,
with the headline, "Teacher Bonuses Don't Result in Improved Student
Achievement." He asks, "whether this heavily subsidized system initiated
largely by national teachers union leaders 20 years ago produces a
reasonable return in improved student achievement." I question Mr.
Holland both on the facts and his interpretation of the report which he
sites for his conclusion.

The 2008 report, Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level
Certification Programs, was produced by the National Research Council
(NRC) following a request by Congress to develop a framework for
evaluating programs that offer advanced-level certification to teachers.

The report found that students taught by National Board Certified
Teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than those taught by
teachers who are not Board Certified. The findings are based on an
analysis of the studies that the NRC says meet standards of sound
scientific research, including new analyses commissioned by the NRC.
According to the report, the "evidence is clear that National Board
Certification distinguishes more effective teachers from less effective
teachers with respect to student achievement." The NRC acknowledged
research showing that National Board Certification has a positive impact
on teacher retention and, based on its analyses, noted that National
Board Certified Teachers are likely to stay in teaching longer than
other teachers. It further found that the National Board Certification
process is an effective professional development experience that
positively affects teaching practices and that the NBPTS Standards and
National Board Certification have taken the culture of teaching to a
higher level.

Additional research further confirms the NRC finding that NBCTs increase
student learning and achievement. Just released teacher evaluation data
from Hillsborough County, Florida, one of the selected sites for The
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Measures of Effective Teaching
(MET) project, show that National Board Certified Teachers rank nearly
one full standard deviation (0.9) higher than non-Board Certified
Teachers when trained evaluators combine scores from written evaluations
and valued added measures. National Board Certified Teachers make up
only 5% of all Hillsborough teachers, and yet half of them scored in the
top 20% of the evaluations. This is powerful affirmation of the
National Board process.

First recognized in 1996 by the Education Leadership Act passed with the
support of former Republican Governor Frank Keating, the National
Board's program in Oklahoma continues to be robust. The 2,994 National
Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in Oklahoma represent the ninth highest
number in the nation. Regarded as some of the most accomplished
teachers in the nation, National Board Certified Teachers are routinely
in the ranks of State Teachers of the Year and four of the last eight
National Teachers of the Year have been National Board Certified,
including Kristen Shelby, Oklahoma's 2012 State Teacher of the Year, a
fourth grade teacher from Hollis Public Schools.

These are facts. But as we all know, despite the importance of data,
stories are what move people whether it is the local rancher, the cop on
the street, or a state legislator. In the last two weeks alone I have
been with National Board Certified Teachers in Illinois, Maine, North
Carolina, New Mexico and Arizona. The stories are the same everywhere:
when teachers - especially teachers concentrated in a single school - go
through the National Board Certification process, they are transformed
as individuals, and as individuals they are transforming their
classrooms and schools.

I invite the readers to contact anyone associated with Loma Linda School
in rural New Mexico, very close to the Mexican border and serving some
of our nation's poorest and at risk children. With the vision of an
assistant principal - who is a National Board Certified Teacher - the
entire school faculty participated in the National Board Certification
process in the 2010-11 school year. Student scores increased by 9% in
math and 5% in English language arts and the school achieved Annual
Yearly Progress (AYP) for the first time in its history.

I invite readers to contact anyone associated with the Mitchell
Elementary School in Chicago, IL where more than 90% of children are on
free and lunch reduced status and are Black or Latino. There a principal
- who is also a National Board Certified Teacher - who has built up his
team so that 70% of his teachers are National Board Certified. Anyone
can go on line and look at how student test scores have risen,
especially on 3rd grade reading, as he has strengthened the capacity of
his teachers.

But why should that be a surprise. In the end, whatever business or
enterprise we are engaged in, it is always the quality of the people who
matter. Education is no different: the quality of a school cannot
exceed the quality of its teachers. National Board Certification both
identifies those who are accomplished teaching and the process itself
leads to higher quality practice. Ask the teachers. Ask their students.
Their stories speak for themselves.

After three years in which no state funding was provided due to severe
budget shortfalls, the Oklahoma state legislature is now poised to
consider restoring funding for the National Board program. Rep. Mike
Brown's bill to fund the stipends out of the state's general revenue
fund could be voted on in the upcoming session, which starts this month.
Last spring, House unanimously passed Resolution 1035 which recognized
the value of National Board Certified Teachers; expressing intent that
scholarships and bonuses for new applicants be funded as soon as budget
restraints allow. By enacting legislation that would restore state
funding, NBCTs would again receive salary stipends which had been
promised to them.

Our willingness as a society to invest in human capital is ultimately
the only sustainable way to build our communities, our states, and our
country. The National Board is dedicated to that proposition. I believe
the people of Oklahoma are, too.

Ronald Thorpe
President and CEO
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

About Me

A target for all garage-filling, paper-creating, linen-sewing, sock stealing gnomes. I aspire to find a way to make said gnomes work for me instead of against me. In my fantasy world, I spend my time on the beach, lazing around with a good book. In real life, I am a very busy 2nd grade teacher. All opinions are my own.